Art of canning



March 25, 1930. A K. MALMQUIST 1,751,642

ART OF CANNING- Filed Ag. 2, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet l March 25, 1930. A. K.MALMQUIST 1,751,642

ART OF CANN I NG Filed- Aug. 2, 1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 25, 1930.MALMQUlST 1,751,642

ART OF CANN ING Filed Aug. 2, 1927 a Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented 25, 1930.nnonra x. MALMQUIST, or scorn BELLIN'GHAM', wnsnmcrb n new or cmiive 7Application filed August a, 1927. semi no.-21o, 127.

This invention relates to improvementsin the art of canning and morearticularl to the canning of materials inclu ing liqui in vacuum,especially when liquids are introduced into cans which contain solidfood. One object of the present invention is to create a vacuouscondition in an exposed can and to utilize the suction of thevacuumcreating element to cause liquid to flow into the can.

5 A further object is to utilize the suction to cause liquid to enterthe can and to penetrate solid food therein and to efiect by the samesuction, vacuumizing of the can and the pores of the solid food.

Aziurther object is to maintain a canclosed against external atmosphere;to vacuumize the can and its contents, and to effect a flow of liquid tocompletely fill the can, simultaneously and from a common source ofsuction.

A further object is to fill cans in vacuum with liquid, that air will beremoved from the liquid as it flows into the can.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certainnovel features as hereinafter set forth and pointed out in the claims. a

In the accompanying drawings;

Figure 1 is a vertical 3o sectional view, illustrating an embodiment ofthe invention, the parts being in the positions which they assumeprior'to the operation of filling a can;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional view on .35 the line 2-2 of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a vertical sectional view with the parts in the positionswhich they assume when the apparatus is in operation 'to fill a u can; t

Figure 4 is a horizontal sectlonal the line 44 of Figure 3;

Figures 5 and 6 illustrate the screen and the ring which carries it; 4a,Figures -7 and 8 are detail views of the view on I member through whichthe suction tube passes;

Figures 9 and 10 are views of the suction tube and valve seat, and pFigures 11 and 12 are detail views of the 5( valve controllingcommunication between the syrupchamber and a can.

Suitable framework is indicated at 1 and upon this framework, acontainer 2 and a tank 3 (having a drain outlet 3) are 10- cated inspaced relation to each other,-said container and tank being rigidlysecured'to the framework by means of fastening devices indicated at 4. Avalve is provided spacing for the bottom of the container as hereinafterexplained. I prefer to make the lower portion ofthe container 2,tapering in form as at 5 and the wall of this tapering portion of thecontainer is provided with a comparatively large opening 6. With thisopen- 05 mg, the larger end of a tapering neck 7 communicates, thesmaller end of the latter-being connected with the casing 8 of a valve 9and this valve-casing also communicates with an outlet port or openin 10in the tank 3. The tank 3 is supplied wit liquid (syrup for example)through a pipe 11 from a suitable source of supply, such as alarge tankor reservoir (not shown) preferably located on a higher level, and inthis pipe, a valve 12 is provided to control the flow of syrup to thetank 3.

tapering portion of the latter. As a matter of fact,=the valve 9'wouldbe kept open until the syrup in the tank 3 and in the tapering lowerportion of the container 2 reaches approximately the level indicated bthe line y in Figure 1; The proportions o the tapering lower portion ofthe container 2 are such @9 that it will contain somewhat more thansufficient syrup to fill one can.

The container 2 is provided on its top with a cover 13 suitably securedand packed to provide an air tight closure. A -shaped pipe fitting 14 isconnected with a nipple 15 on the cover 13 and thereby communicates withthe chamber 16 formed by the upper portion of the container 2. Thebranch 17 of said pipe fitting isconnected through a valve 18 andsuitable pipe connections 19 with a vacuum pumportank not shown. Theotherbranch 20 of said pipe fitting is provided with a vacuum reliefvalve 21. A vacuum gage 22 is connected by a suitable pipe 23 andthrough the cover 13 with the chamber 16 in the container 2. At or nearthe juncture of the upperportion of the container 2 with the lowertapering portion thereof, a spider 24 is lpcated and may comprise fourmembers integral with the walls of said container. The central portionof this spider is provided with an opening for the passage of a suctiontube 25 which extends to the lower end of the taperin portion ofcontainer 2 where it is provide with a head 26 having an annular groove27 containing a valve seat 28 of rubber or other suitable material. Asleeve or spacing member 29 is located between the central portion ofthe spider 24 and the head 26 at the lower end of the vacuum tube 25,said sleeve having a plurality of vertical ribs 30 which overlie thevalve seat 28 and the spaces 31 between the ribs 30 afford orts for thepassage of liquid.

I The suction tu e 25 passes through the sleeve 29 and extends upwardlyabove the spider 24, its upper portion being threaded for the receptionof a nut 32.

The lower portion or base 33 of the container 2 is provided with arecess 34 in which the peripheral portion of a ring 35 of rubber orother flexible material is located. The bottom of the recess34 is formedby the framework 1 and the upper wall of said recessis beveled or flaredas indicated at 36 so that the inner portion of said ring will bepermitted to move upwardly. The rin 35 constitutes a flexible carrierfor a valve 3 a portion of said valve resting upon the flexible ring 35,and a ring 38, secured to the valve by fastening dc..- vices 39, engagesthe under face of the flexible carrier ring 35 and thus the valve isattached to said carrier ring. The valve 37 is annular in form andencircles the spacing sleeve 29, the inner portion of said valve beingadapted to rest upon the valve seat 28 carried by the head 26 and thusclose communication between the syrup chamber of the container 2 and acan 40 disposed below the same, as presently explained. The valve 37 ismaintained normally on its seat by means of a spring 41 surrounding thespacing member 29,-the lower end of said spring bearing against thevalve and the upper portion against the lower end of screws 42 carriedby the spider 24. By

means. of these screws the tension of the spring141 ma be adjusted. Thespider 9A is provi ed wit depending lugs 43 to maintain the upperportion of the spring in proper position and lugs 44 on the valve 37perform a similar function for the lower ortion of the spring. The valve37 is provi ed'with a plurality of grooves 45 to permit ready passage ofsyrup under the ower end of the spring on its wa to the exit ports.

The can 40 to e filled will be located upon a platform 46 and a guide 47for the can may be provided on the framework 1 above the platform. Theplatform 46 is provided with a depending shank 48 which passes freelythrough an opening in an arm 49 projecting from the framework 1 and thelower end of this shank is preferably beveled or made taperin as at 50and is engaged by a tapering or have ed cam 51 carried by a short shaft52 and in the embodiment of the invention shown in the drawings, thisshaft is provided with an operating lever 53.

In order to prevent any foreign matter entering the can with the syrup,a screen 54 may be provided. This screen may be soldered or otherwisesecured-to ring 38 and it may be notched as at 55 for the accommodationof the headsof fastening-devices 39.

When a can, open at its to and containing solid food, has been placeupon the plat form 46, operation of the lever 53 will cause the platformand hence the can to be raised and the open upper end of the can tobepressed against the rubber ring 35, the latter thus serving as a pador seat for the open end of the can as vwell as a flexible carrier forthe valve 37. When the can shall have been thus raised and seated at itsupper endagainstthe ring or pad 35 it will surro nd the ring 38, thelatter thus entering the ca and being of V such thickness as to beapproximately equal to the space in the can displaced by the capsubsequently applied thereto. The valve 37 being closed, the can whenseated against the ring 35 will be closed air-tight against externalatmosphere, except through the suction tube 25 when the valve 21 isopen. This latter valve is, however, closed during the operation'offilling a can and the can is maintained closed against all externalatmosphere, since the chamber 16 will be exhausted, as hereinafterexplained.

The valve 12 will be opened to per- 7 mit flo w of syrup to the tank 3until the syru ,m the tank reaches a level approximate y as indicated-bthe line m. The valve 12 may now be close as shown in Figure 3 I menusrunning of a charge of syru into thecontainer 2, the order in which tese operations are performed may be reversed, but both operations mustbeperformed' before'the cham-.

r the valve 37 against the resistance of the her 16 of the container isvacuumized.

The valve 21 may now be closed and the valve 18 moved from the closedposition shown in Figure 1 to the open position shown in Figure 3. Theopenin of the valve till tit

18 will connect the upper chamber 16 of the container 2 with the vacuumpump or tank, and the saidchamber (16) over the Syrup in the lowerportion of, said container, will become exhausted. By reason of theconnection of the chamber 16 with the can, through the suction tube 25,a suction on the can. and its contents will be created. The actionofthis suction will be to raise the can, from the platform 46 as shown inFigure 3, and the added pressure of the can against the flexible ringwill cause said ring to fiex and carry the valve 37 against theresistance of the spring 41, from the closed position shown in Figure 1to the open position shown in Figure 3. The valve 37 being new open the's'yrupmay flow from the lower por ion of the container 2 to the can. Byreason the suction through the suction tube 25, the can and its contentswill be vacuumized beforethe valve 37 opens, and after the valve opens,there will still continue a suction through the vacuum tube, which willaugment the -fiow ofsyrup to the can to completely fill the can withsyrup and at the same time exhaust air from the syrup as it flows fromthe container tothe can.

During the above described filling operations, the parts will be in thepositions shown in Figure 3, but when said filling shall have beencompleted, the valves 18 and 21 will be shifted so that the former willbe closed and the latter open as shown in Figure 1-; The

'vacuous condition in the chamber-160i container 2 will'now be releasedand hence the suction through the tube 25 will be discontinued.Thefilled can will, therefore, drop to the platform and the valve 37will be closed by the action of the spring. 41.

I The exhaustion of air from the can and its contents, includingthesyrup, is accomplished by employing a lll h vacuum, and there will bea condition of high vacuum Within the can and itscontents and the canwill be filled to the cap when the latter is applied. The danger ofcollapsing of the can is therefore greatly reduced but to safeguardagainst possible collapsing of the can b external atmospheric pressure,it mightbe ound desirable to ourploy cans reinforced, preferably by'tvvoor more beads 40. v

' I have found that to accomplish the eficient past the can an v plychamber in the container 2. I have found fillin 'or the an with-liquidit is important that t ebore of the suction tube have a proper capacityas comparedto' area of the body of- -syrup in the container, thecapacityof the syrup ports controlled by the valve 37' the degree of vacuum inthe chamber 16 and the capacity of the can to be filled. If theboreofthe suction tube 25 be too small, suflicient suction would not behad to raise the can and spring 41 and hence said valve would not beopened. On the other hand, if the bore of the suction tube-be too lar e,the "result would be that while the valve 3 would be opened,

the syrup (or a large portion. of it) assing the valve 37 would flowupwardly 't rough y the suction tube and thus return to the ho of syrupin the container instead of properly entering the can. 7, I p

Experience has shown that the capacity of the suctiontube 25 should beless than the capacity of the ports or passages between the syrupcontainer 2 and the can when the r 37 will be brought about by reducingthe suction on the can sufliciently below the suc-* 1 tion of thetwenty-nine inch. vacuum in the chamber 16, to (prevent syrup fromshunting returning to the syrup supthat if the tube 25 be made with abore havlngone-fourth inch diameter in a machine such as hereinbeforedescribed, the operations of filling a can as hereinbefore will beeficiently accomplished.

By maintaining the suction created by a twenty-nine inch vacuum,constant during the filling operation, air contained in the syrup will,to a great extent, be withdrawn, so that the degree of vacuum in thefilled can will be very high (approximately 26 or 27 inches) as comparedto the degree of vacuumobtained in cans filled by previous'methods indescribed,

which approximately one-half of the degree of the original vacuumemployed, was lost on account of the entrance of air-into the can withthe syrup.

Having fully described my invention what ll claim as new and desire tosecure by Lettors-Patent, is

1. In ap aratus for filling cans, the combination oa container having ali uid chamber and'a superimposed vacuum c amber, a valve for normallyclosing the bottom of the liquid chamber, a flexible carrier pad forsaid valve, a ring secured to the under side of the valve and connectingthe same to said chamber, and means-whereby the vacuum pad, means toraise an open can and cansing the upper end thereof to engage thecarrier pad around the ring and cause closing of the upper end of thecan,'-a tube passin vertically throu h the liquid chamber wit its lowerend a jacent and concentric with said ring and its upper end in thevacuum rin secured to the "under side of the valve an clamping the padthereto, means for appl ing the open upper end of a can to. sa1dflexible carrier pad around the ring and under the valve and suctiontube, and means for supplying the lower chamber of the container withliquid.

8. In ap aratus for filling cans, the com-l bination o a container havinupper and lower communicating cham ers, means whereby. the upper chambermay be subjected to controlled suction, a suction tubecommunicating withsaid upper chamber and open at its lower end,.a valve seat carried bsaid tube, a valve normallyseated on sai valve seat, a flexible carrierpad for said valve, means for applying the open upper end of a can tosaid flexlble carrier pad and under the valve and suction tube, meansfor supplying the lower chamber of thecontainer with liquid, aspringnormally holding said valve on its seat, and means for ad us ting thetension of said s ring.

4. In ap aratus for lhng cans, the combination o a container havin upperand lower communicating cham ers, whereby the upper chamber may besubjected to controlled suction, a suction tube communicating with saidupper chamber and open at its lower end, a spider through which theupper portion of the suct1on tu e passes, a nut on said tube above thespider, a spacing member between sa1d spider and the valve seat at thelower end of the suction tube, said spacing member having vertical ribs,a valve seat carried by sa1d tube,'a valve normally seated on said valveseat, a flexible carrier pad for said valve, means for apply-' ing theopen upper end of a can to said flexible carrier pad and under the valveand suction tube, and means for supplying the lower chamber of thecontainer with liquid.

5; In apparatus for filling cans, the combination of a container havingupper and lower communicating chambers, means whereby the upper chambermay be subject:

means bination of a container havin ed to controlledsuction, asuctiontube communicating with said upper chamber and open at its lower end, avalve seat carried by said tube, a valve normally seated on said valveseat, a flexible carrier pad for said valve, a ring secured to saidvalve and engagingthe under face of said carrier pad and adapted toenter the open upper end of a can, means for a plying the open upper endof a can to said exible carrier pad and under the valve and suctiontube, and means for supplying the lower chamber of the container withliquid.

6. In ap aratus for filling cans, the combination o acontainer havingupper and lower communicating chambers, means whereby the upper chambermay be subjected to controlled suction, a suction tube communicating.with said upper chamber and open at its lower end, a valve seat carriedby said tube, a valve normally seated on said valve" seat, a flexiblecarrier pad for said valve, a ring secured to said valve and engagingthe under face of said carrier pad an a apted to enter the open end of acan,

a screen secured to the under side of and covering the entire area ofsaid ring, means for. applying the open upper end of a can tosaidflexible carrier pad and under the valve and suction tube, and means forsupplying the lower chamber of the container with iqui 7. In apparatusfor filling cans, the combination o a container having upper and lowercommunicating chambers, means whereby the upper chamber may be subjectedto controlled suction, a suction tube communicating with said upperchamber and open at its lower end, a valve seat carried by said tube, avalve normally seated on said valve seat, a flexible carrier pad forsaid valve, means for a Elying the open upper end of a can to sai exibcarrier pad and under the valve and suction tube, a tank, means forcontrolling supply of liquid to said tank, and a valved connectionbetween said tank and the lower chamber of the container. I

8. In apparatus for filling cans, the comupper and lower communicatingcham ers, means whereby the u per chamber may be subjected to controllesuction, means whereby said upper chamber may be rendered open to theatmosphere, a suction tube communicating with said upper chamber andopen at its lower end, a valve seat carried by said tube, a valvenormally seated on said valve seat, a flexible carrier pad for saidvalve, means for applying the open upper end of a can to said flexlblecarrier pad and under the valve and suction tube, and means forsupplying the lower chamber of the container with liquid.

9. In apparatus for filling cans with liq-

